Worldwide News

Stockholm, September 1, 2010

Comment from World Fedration Against Drugs, WFAD, about the appointment of Ambassador Yuri Viktorovich Fedotov, as Executive Director of UNODC.

WFAD congratulates Mr Fedotov to his new post. It is an assignment of uttermost importance to the world and the welfare of mankind. The problem of illicit drug use affects more or less every corner of the world today.

Although the international cooperation on drug control has held back the problem we cannot be satisfied with the situation. Much too many people suffer direclty or indirectly from the effect of illicit drug use. The latter is especially true when it comes to children.

Some organisations advocate a shift in drug policy that would downgrade the control mechanisms on an internaional scale, which they say would enhance drug treatment. WFAD sees this as a false conflict. Experience from many places and countries show that the criminal justice system can very well be coordinted with providing treatment to drug addicts.

WFAD encourages Mr Fedotov to stand firm on the issue of living up to the high standards of the UN Conventions on drugs. They constitute the platform for the work against illicit drug use on which effective practical work has to be build that serves the health and welfare of mankind.

WFAD looks forward to learning from Mr Fedotov how he will lead UNODC and organize its work. We once again congratulate him to his appointment.



Per Johansson
Secretary of the Board
World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD)
Ragvaldsgatan 14
SE-11846 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone: +46 8643 0467
Cell: +46 70830 1789
Web: www.wfad.se

During the mission to UNHQ in New York, Professor Hamid Ghodse, President of the International Narcotics Control Board and Mr. Jonathan Lucas, Secretary of the Board, attended the substantive session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on 22 July 2010, at which the INCB President presented the 2009 Annual Report. (To read the statement, click here)

The mission held high level consultations with the Secretary General, the Administrator of UNDP, other senior United Nations Official, the President of the Security Council, the Acting President of the General Assembly, the President and First Vice-President of ECOSOC and Representatives of Governments.

This was followed by a visit to Washington, D.C., where the mission had consultations with Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement of the State Department, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). 

The discussion focused on the policies of the Government of the United States in respect of drug control. Consultations with some key Members of the Congress were also held.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the 2010 INCB Annual Report to be published in early 2011.

According to the last National Study on Drugs, released in 2008 by the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection, the National Narcotics Directorate and UNODC Colombia, 540, 000 people between the ages of 12 and 65 were found to have used some kind of illicit drug in the preceding year.

The Colombian Government, working together with UNODC, is determined to make the country a "drug-free territory". Recently, the Government launched a new public awareness campaign in the capital, Bogotá, called "Colombia, a drug free territory". The campaign, in the form of television, radio and online infomercials, is being carried out in major cities in the country.

Watch the video "Colombia, a drug-free territory" (in Spanish)

Visit the campaign website (in Spanish)

Corruption and poor governance are major causes preventing the process ‎of reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. To help address these challenges, UNODC is promoting and supporting the implementation of anti-corruption measures and an accountable justice system.

UNODC is assisting the Attorney General's Office in creating and implementing the Code of Ethics and Professional Standards for prosecutors. Among other things, UNODC advises the Afghan Government on reforming anti-corruption legislation, including by complying with the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Read more

An international operation across East Africa targeting counterfeit medical products and pharmaceutical crimes has resulted in the seizure of at least 10 tons of counterfeit and illicit medical products and more than 80 arrests of individuals suspected of involvement in the illegal manufacture, trafficking or sale of counterfeit and diverted medical products.

Read more

A commentary about why California should just say no to Proposition 19 was published in Los Angeles Times today.

The commentary was written by Gil Kerlikowske, John Walters, Barry McCaffrey, Lee Brown, Bob Martinez, and William Bennett, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administrations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

Why California should just say no to Prop. 19

The number of people admitted into hospital because of GHB poisoning has quadrupled in the period 2004-2009. In total, 1200 persons who had swallowed were admitted into the ERs of hospitals.

Almost sixty percent of the treatments took place in the weekend. It mainly concerns males (69 percent). Some 50 percent of the victims were between 20 and 29 years old, and fourteen percent between 15 and 19.

Many of the patients not only used GHB, but also alcohol (34%) or other drugs like XTC (10%), cocaine (7%) or speed (1%).

Zorgwekkende stijging GHB-ongevallen zet door

The British Home Office has restated its position on drugs, after the outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians Ian Gilmore called for a review of the law.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Ian Gilmore said that the present policy of prohibition is not a success.

Responding to Sir Ian’s comments, a Home Office spokesperson said: Drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis are extremely harmful and can cause misery to communities across the country. The government does not believe that decriminalisation is the right approach. Our priorities are clear; we want to reduce drug use, crack down on drug related crime and disorder and help addicts come off drugs for good.

UK police forces detected more than 6800 cannabis farms and factories in the UK in 2009/10.

That’s the finding of a new report from the Association of Chief Police Officers into the cultivation of cannabis in the UK.

The ‘UK National Problem Profile, Commercial Cultivation of Cannabis’ also reveals that:

• Over 1.3 million plants with an estimated value of £150 million were recovered during the two year survey period

• The criminals involved in this activity are changing with more white British people involved than ever before

• The majority of offenders are between 18 and 35 years old

• Premises used are becoming more varied with farms now uncovered in industrial buildings, former pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, hotels, print works and banks

• The largest factory found was in an industrial unit in Haddenham, Cambridgeshire where more than 7600 plants were recovered with an estimated value of £2.5 million

• Criminals involved in cannabis cultivation are also involved in other types of crime such as counterfeiting currency and DVDs, money laundering, tobacco smuggling, immigration crime, firearms, blackmail, prostitution, theft and people trafficking.

ACPO lead on cannabis Commander Allan Gibson of the Metropolitan Police said the findings came as no surprise.

Between 2004 and 2007, 800 cannabis factories a year were being uncovered by police. That rose to over 3000 a year in 2007/08 and over 6800 in 2009/10. This increase can be attributed to a number of factors, including an increased focus by law enforcement. The police response is now stronger and more effective through better coordination and intelligence sharing between forces and other agencies and more covert operations against the operators.

The level of publicity around cannabis since its reclassification in 2008 has meant that more members of the community are now reporting any unusual signs of habitation in buildings and houses which is leading to more detections.

This profile gives us a better understanding of the current picture of the commercial cultivation of cannabis in the UK and the need for continued robust enforcement.

Read the report

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse.

National Drug Facts Week is being supported by multiple federal agencies that share an interest in preventing teen drug abuse. They are: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in HHS, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at NIH, the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance in the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Guard, part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Each of these agencies will post National Drug Facts Week information on their Web sites, and many will hold special events linking scientists to teens.

Press release